The Ten Best Movie Kisses Ever

I’m procrastinating. And in moments of procrastination, I blog. And in case in moments of procrastination you read blogs, I present for your viewing pleasure a list of my most treasured lip-locking moments in cinema. I’m stealing this idea quite shamelessly from Katy Regnery, who blogged about her favorite movie kisses a few weeks ago.

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In chronological order, these are my favorite on-screen kisses. I limited myself to movies, thus opening the door to a similar small screen list because why not.

1.) Notorious (1946): I won’t repeat what I’ve already said about this kiss: watch it for yourself or read about it here. Dear Lord, now I want some fried chicken.

2.) It’s a Wonderful Life (1946): Evidently 1946 was a good year for heat at the box office. For me, this kiss is all about the build-up, about how mad George is about wanting Mary and about how he can’t stop smelling her hair and then can’t stop himself at all. Gorgeous.

3.) Roman Holiday (1953): it isn’t a romance, is it? This confection about the doing the right thing because you must? No, Roman Holiday is about stealing from your life one selfish thing–and if that’s a perfect day with Gregory Peck then so be it. I can’t find the scene in the car online, but this homage to the entire film gets the job done.

4.) Some Like it Hot (1959): Holy cow Marilyn Monroe in this movie. Like wowza. Tony Curtis’s voice in this scene just kills me, as do the jump cuts. It’s like the film itself needs to catch its breath because my word, Marilyn Monroe. In that dress. Holy cow.

5.) Raiders of the Lose Ark (1981): I love this movie; always have, always will. When Indie and Marion finally do fall into bed together they are so totally themselves. He’s arrogant, she doesn’t accept it, and you just know they’re dynamite together. I also love how the series taken as a whole becomes a reunion story for Indie and Marion. Karen Allen relives the kiss starting around 6:20 in the video below.

6.) Say Anything (1989): I won’t repeat myself. Here‘s my write-up. This may be my favorite teen film ever and the chemistry between the leads is intense and perfect.

7.) Romeo + Juliet (1996): I will not talk about my first high school boyfriend (not the one I married, or the jerk, or that really intense summer affair–no, the one before all of those), or my love of mid-90s culture, or my serious movie crush on Baz Luhrmann. I’ll just say that I will defend this adaptation against all the haters for this scene alone, specifically for the moment when Leo bobs into the glass of the fish tank, because young love, people. Young freakin’ love.

8.) Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001): “Wait a minute–nice boys don’t kiss like that.” “Oh, yes, they fucking do.” Enough said.

9.) Moulin Rouge (2001): Maybe now it’s time for my paean to Baz Luhrmann? He’s too much. Too much color, too much emotion, too much with the costumes and the music and the special effects. Just too much. Or just the right amount. There’s nothing cynical about Luhrmann. But he also never pulls any punches. It’s all out there and it hurts, because life does sometimes. I can’t find the kiss I want, but maybe this entire movie makes the list. It’s a cinematic kiss.

10. Monsoon Wedding (2001): Evidently 2001 was another steamy year. I’ve written about the movie before; I adore it. I watch it like some people eat comfort food. Skip ahead to 7:25 for the two achingly romantic bits, including one of my favorite kisses ever. The way Parvin Dabas touches Vasundhara Das’ face before he kisses her gives me shivers.

Bonus: Or just watch the kissing montage from Cinema Paradiso and get really happy because of all loveliness. Kisses redeem the world. More kissing, I say.